


pink

by Griffin Raynor (TheEbonHawk)



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Issues, Shapeshifting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 01:27:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17132420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheEbonHawk/pseuds/Griffin%20Raynor
Summary: Steven tries to imitate the form of his mother in a fit of pure frustration.





	pink

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first published Steven Universe fic, in honor of the new episodes starting today! It's just an idea for a scene I had that I figure is pretty unlikely to actually happen. Happy Holidays and Happy Steven-Universe-Is-Back season!

Steven stormed out of Blue Diamond's chamber and kept going until he managed to lose himself in a random corridor of the palace. He ignored every gem in sight until he found a place with no one around and bounced his fist off of one of the pristine, cold walls.

"I can't take this! I hate this place, and this stupid outfit! And Blue..she just wants me to be Pink Diamond! I'm _not_ Pink Diamond!"

He looked down at his clothes, then at his hands. They gave him a replica of her outfit to try to make him look like her, but they couldn't make his hands any bigger. They couldn't make him look like Pink Diamond.

Could _he_ make that happen? Would it make things easier? Steven closed his fists, staring at his tiny human hands with increasing frustration.

It was out of pure determination and spite that he willed them to change. His hands grew, and so did the rest of him - he felt himself stretch to Pink Diamond's height, his skin turning pink. He realized with a brief flash of panic that he could feel his gem moving and grabbed his stomach. And then he'd done it. He stood in the same corridor he'd been in, but now he was a tower.

It was a bit like forming Stevonnine - jumping up in height, not being quite sure where his body had gone. But it was also very different from Stevonnie...He was utterly alone.

He leaned against the wall, struggling to cope both mentally and physically with the literally monumental task. Then he laughed. "Look at that," he muttered, only he heard his mother's voice. "I'm Pink Diamond."

Footsteps stopped behind him, and a small, sharp intake of breath. He knew instantly who it was. His head whipped round (so huge now, just moving it made him dizzy), and he looked down to see Pearl, staring up at him with wide, teary eyes and her hands clasped in front of her.

"St-Steven?"

Steven smiled on instinct and immediately shifted back. It was easy in reverse, like letting out a held breath or succumbing to exhaustion. He went from standing over her to looking up, and his smile turned apologetic. "I kinda just wanted to see if I could. Sorry."

Pearl just stared at him for a moment, her held tears falling. Then she wiped them away and set her hand on her shoulder. "Please, don't do that again."

Steven grimaced, remembering the time he'd caught Amethyst imitating Rose Quartz in front of his dad. It'd upset both of them, and it was meant to be upsetting. It was a lousy use of shapeshifting. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean for you to see me like that."

Pearl squeezed his shoulder tighter and shook her head. "No, that's not...if the Diamonds know you can look like her, they won't ever want you to stop. And you don't need to be her, Steven. All Rose ever wanted for you was...to be you. She wanted you to be yourself."

She sighed and crouched in front of him, looking at him on eye level with a slight, warm smile. "You have your mother's gem, Steven, but you will always be your own person. And I love you just the way you are."

She wiped away his own tears that he hadn't even known he'd been crying. He wrapped his tiny human arms around her and hugged her tight, and she hugged him back for a moment before standing up, taking his hand. "Come on, Steven. Let's go find the others."


End file.
